Method of determining skill level in a tournament setting

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a method of determining a most skilled individual from a group of individuals in a tournament setting over a computer network. A method of determining skill level in a card game in a tournament setting comprises assigning players to a plurality of tables, each table consisting of a predetermined number of labelled positions. Cards are provided to each player over the network such that players seated at positions with the same label at each table have the same cards. The performance of players at the same position at different tables is compared after playing a game and such players are ranked as a measure of their skill level.

[0001] This application is a non-provisional of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 60/393,736 filed on Jul. 8, 2002, the content of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The present invention is generally directed to skilled gaming andmore specifically to a method of determining skill level in a tournamentsetting.

[0004] 2. Description of the Prior Art

[0005] There are many games of chance that require substantial skill andknowledge to be able to play well such as poker style games, Bridge,Euchre, Hearts and Cribbage. Even though the game process is dependenton chance, through the random dealing of cards, a knowledgeable andskilled player is, over time, usually more successful than the unskilledcompetition. For instance, the skill of a poker player is usually gaugedby the amount of money the player has won by the end of a session andnot by how many times the player has had a winning hand. This monetarysuccess depends on the betting strategy of the skilled player, whichincludes the choice of not playing bad hands, as well as, bettingappropriately on good hands. In the short term, the elements of chancemay predominate but skill plays a substantial and defining role in thefinal outcome. In addition to the chance elements introduced by thedealt cards, there is a significant amount of unpredictabilityintroduced by player interaction that adds to the play andcharacteristics of each game. Players act and react accordingly usingtheir skills to allow them to control or minimize theseunpredictabilities. Most skill games have unpredictabilities that formthe basis for the application of skill sets and judging criteria. When aplayer has control over and can react to unpredictabilities then thesedo not constitute elements of chance.

[0006] Skill has several definitions and interpretations, all of whichconclude that an activity is skilful if a player can significantlyaffect the outcome of play as a result of their own actions. Examples ofthe skills required for playing various games include knowledge of gamerules and theory, strategic planning, organizational skills, knowledgeof game mathematics (card and betting odds), money management,intelligence, logic, discipline, game adaptability, psychology,manipulation, deception and bluffing and long and short term memory.

[0007] In many card games, the elements of chance are introduced by theshuffling and the random dealing of the cards. It is possible throughthis process alone for a player to receive an unbeatable hand in thefirst instance and no matter what application of skill takes place theoutcome cannot be significantly altered by the application of skill orplayer action. In the short term, pure chance can succeed. Hence mostcard games are defined as games of mixed chance and skill and aregambling games. Skill, over the long term, does however dominate playfor the most part.

[0008] In prior art network-based game systems, players compete head tohead against a computer it is relatively simple to have all competitorsin a given tournament play an identical hand and compare the outcome.The player who scores the highest score under the same playingconditions becomes the winner. This is the scoring basis for many of theskill games played on the Internet presently. It can be applied to gamesof mixed chance and skill, however this environment is sterile andlacking the player interaction that accounts for much of the skill inplaying poker and other similar games. The normal characteristics andplayability of the game are not maintained. For example, in the case ofvideo poker, the only skill set that usually comes in to play is theknowledge of the law of probability and the player cannot significantlyaffect the outcome of the game.

[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method ofdetermining skill level in a tournament game setting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0010] The present invention is directed to a method of determining amost skilled individual from a group of individuals in a tournamentsetting.

[0011] The purpose of this game play methodology is to significantlyreduce or remove the influence of chance from the scoring criteria forgame play and thus allow games of mixed chance and skill, like TexasHoldem Poker, and the like, to be played as a skill game. In doing so,the judging criteria for the tournament will depend entirely on theskill abilities of the players and not be unduly influenced by theelements of chance. Individuals are divided into various tournamenttables and each player is designated a position at the table. Theplayers located in the same position at each table then compete againsteach other to determine which player is the most skilled by playing cardgames against players at their own table. The dealing of the card handsis mirrored over each of the tables so that the players in eachtournament group are dealt the same hand. By causing each player in eachtournament group to play the same hand, a player's skill level may bedetermined.

[0012] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a method of determining skill level in a card game in atournament setting over a computer network. The method comprisesassigning players to a plurality of tables, each table consisting of apredetermined number of labelled positions. Cards are provided to eachplayer over the network such that players seated at positions with thesame label at each table have the same cards. The performance of playersat the same position at different tables is compared after playing agame and such players are ranked as a measure of their skill level.

[0013] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, thereis provided a game system for playing a card game in a tournamentsetting. The system comprises a plurality of individual players, a hostserver connected to each of the players over a network. The host serverincludes a tournament module to divide the players into tournamentgroups, and provide a table designation and table position to eachplayer, each table position corresponding to a tournament group. Thehost server further includes a dealing module to provide the same cardsto each player with the same table position. The host server alsoincludes a monitoring module to track the gameplay at each table and aranking module to compare the performance of players within eachtournament group.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] These and other features of the preferred embodiments of theinvention will become more apparent in the following detaileddescription in which reference is made to the appended drawings wherein:

[0015]FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a network for implementing amethod of the present invention;

[0016]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a computer for use in the networkof FIG. 1;

[0017]FIG. 3 is a flowchart outlining steps of an embodiment fordetermining a skill level of an individual in a tournament setting; and

[0018]FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of how individuals are divided intotournament groups.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] Turning to FIG. 1, a schematic diagram of a system forimplementing a first embodiment of a method of determining the skilllevel of an individual in a tournament setting is shown. In the presentexample, there are sixteen individuals who have been selected toparticipate in a card tournament. The system 10 comprises individuals 12(seen as computers 13 a-13 p) connected over a network, such as theInternet, to a host server 14. The host server 14 is also connected to adatabase 16 which stores tournament information. The host server 14controls the tournament and handles the game play interaction betweenthe individuals 12. As can be seen in FIG. 2, each of the computers 13includes a game application 18 and a library 20. The game application 18comprises proprietary software for the configuration of the tournamentgame play while the library 20 receives and transmits data packets fromand to the host server 14. An application program interface (API)controls the communication between the game application 18 and thelibrary 20, as well as, the communication between the library 20 and thehost server 14. The host server 14, tracks changes in the database 16and updates each library 20 with necessary modifications to the softwarecomponent of the game application 18. An input device 22 is connected tothe computer to allow a player to control the computer 13 i.e. to playtheir cards. The computer 13 includes a computer screen to providedisplayed information to the player.

[0020] In operation, as outlined by the flowchart of FIG. 3, after eachof the individuals 12 has connected to the host server 14 via theircomputer 13 (step 100), the host server 14 divides the individuals 12into tournament groups for playing a game such as poker (step 102). Inthe present example, the individuals are divided into 4 tournamentgroups such as tournament group 1, tournament group 2, tournament group3 and tournament group 4. After the tournament groups are determined,each of the individuals 12 is given a table designation and tableposition (step 104). In the present embodiment, the tables aredesignated as Table A, Table B, Table C and Table D while the positionsare designated as 1, 2, 3 and 4 as schematically shown in FIG. 4.Therefore table A comprises players A1, A2, A3 and A4, table B comprisesplayers B1, B2, B3 and B4, table C comprises players C1, C2, C3 and C4and table D comprises players D1, D2, D3 and D4. Unlike other prior arttournaments whereby the individuals at each table compete amongthemselves to determine the most skilled player, the method of thepresent invention is directed at determining the most skilled player bycomparing the players seated in the same position at each table (or inthe same tournament group). Therefore, players A1, B1, C1 and D1 competein tournament group 1, players A2, B2, C2 and D2 compete in tournamentgroup 2, players A3, B3, C3 and D3 compete in tournament group 3 andplayers A4, B4, C4 and D4 compete in tournament group 4. Preferably, theplayers are ranked based on their previous play prior to being dividedinto tournament groups so that players with similar skill may bedistributed evenly among the tables. It will be recognized that such anarrangement will avoid an excess of skilled players at one table.

[0021] The host server 14 then deals the cards (step 106) to the playersto commence the tournament by sending messages to the libraries 20 ofthe computers 13 a to 13 p to indicate which cards have been dealt tothe individual. The library 20 receives the information and transmitsthis information to the game application 18 which displays the card handon the computer screen. The cards hands that are dealt to theindividuals at each table is mirrored over each of the tables such thatall of the players in each tournament group receive the same card hand.However, all of the card hands between each of the individuals at thetable are different. This is achieved by pre-programming the host server14 to deal pre-determined card hands to table positions.

[0022] After the card hands are dealt, the individuals at each tablecompete against each other in the selected card game while the hostserver 14 monitors the game play (step 108). For poker, each of theindividuals are provided a starting money value. The individuals attemptto create the highest scoring poker hand using the cards they are dealtin order to increase their money value. Networked game play involvingcomputers and input devices will be known to one skilled in the art. Thegame proceeds with the individuals playing their hands and exchangingcards with the deck. This is facilitated by using the input device 22 toselect the cards to be discarded. After the game application 18 sensesthe actions of the individual, this information is communicated to thelibrary 20 which sends a message to the host server 14 indicating howmany cards the player wants to exchange. The host server 14 thenaccesses the database 16 to determine which cards to exchange and sendsa message back to the library to indicate the new cards. The library 20then transmits this information to the game application 18 and the gameapplication updates the card hand on the computer screen. During theround of poker play, players may bet or fold For each bet, ante or fold,the library 20 sends a message to the host server 14 to indicate theplay of the individual 12. The database 16 is updated each time a newmoney value is submitted for an individual. The information on betsplaced by the individual 12 are thus made available to other players atthe same table. These players see the bets placed by the other playersat their table in real-time and use this information to decide on theirown actions. After each card hand is completed, the host server 14determines which players have earned money and which players have lostmoney and updates the individuals' libraries 20 and the database 16accordingly (step 110). The host server 14 then determines if apre-determined time limit for tournament play has elapsed (step 111). Ifit has not, the individuals are then dealt a new card hand (step 106)which is once again replicated over each of the other tables. In thismanner, the players in tournament group 1 at each table continuouslyreceive the same cards. If the time limit has elapsed, the host server14 determines which individuals have won their tournament game byaccessing the database 16 (step 112). By comparing the money values ofeach of the individuals in each tournament (step 114), the host server14 determines which individual won each tournament group (step 116).Since each of these individuals has been dealt the same cards, the mostskilled player of each tournament group is determined to be the one withthe highest money value since it is the player's application of theirskill in the poker card game which determines the outcome.

[0023] For instance, if player A1 receives poor card hands and theirmoney value was lower than their starting money value, it is possiblethat they are still the most skilled individuals in their tournamentgroup since all of the individuals in the tournament group would havebeen dealt the same card hands and most likely lost compared to theother individuals at their table. How the individual uses their skill todetermine a strategy and/or money management plan which maximizes thewins and minimizes the losses is a factor in determining the mostskilled individual of each tournament group.

[0024] The amount won or lost with regard to the other players at thetable is part of the scoring criteria but has no bearing on thedetermination of the most skilled individual in each tournament group.The main variable coming into play for scoring is how the individualsapplied skill throughout the game.

[0025] After the initial round of play has been completed, the processmay then be repeated so that the most skilled in each tournament groupmay be pitted against each other while the second place finishers ofeach tournament group compete against each other and similarly with thethird and fourth place players of each tournament group. The fourplayers ranked as the most skilled in their respective tournament groupswould be dealt hands from the host server 14 as two tables with twoplayers at each table. In this manner, two most skilled players may bedetermined by the host server 14 from the group of sixteen individualsrather than four winners from the four tournament groups.

[0026] It will be recognized that in the above there is a possibility ofa tie between two or more players when the determination of skill ismade. This would occur when the players obtain the same results with thesame cards. In this case, the host server 14 may deal another game inorder to break the tie.

[0027] In the event of a communication disruption or computermalfunction, there is the possibility that a player may becomedisconnected from the host server 14. If this were to happen, upondetection, the host server 14 would preferably automatically post theblind or ante, and subsequently fold, until such time as the playerre-established their connection to the host server 14. Alternatively, aplayer may select at the commencement of the tournament from a selectionof strategies. In the event of a disconnection, the selected strategywould be initiated and followed by the host server until such time asthe player re-established their connection.

[0028] In poker, it may be difficult to monitor the number of draw cardsfor an individual. Individuals are generally allowed to exchange one tothree cards in their card hand with cards from the deck. This may causethe cards hands between individuals in each tournament group to bedifferent since each individual may not select the same number of cardsfor exchange. This introduces an element of chance and reduces the focuson skill level of the player. For a draw game to work (such as poker), astandard card draw may be implemented which applies to each individualequally. Alternatively, the draw cards may be prearranged up to amaximum allowable number so that the drawing does not affect theremainder of the deck of cards.

[0029] Alternatively, the statistics of all of the players maybe storedin the database 16 so that when the individuals play at a later date,they may be grouped with other individuals of equal skill level. Playersof like ranking may be organised in a tournament group. It is notnecessary that all individuals at a table be of similar skill levelsince the individuals are not judged against each other. Therefore thedispersement of skill may be equal for each of the tournament tables.

[0030] Alternatively, the tournament may occur in a physical environmentwhere the card hands are dealt by a dealer. In this manner, it would bemore time consuming to set up the cards such that the individuals ineach tournament group at each table are dealt the same hand.

[0031] In an alternative embodiment, the win/loss ration of the playersmay be used to calculate a points difference penalty for the winner ofthe table. This may provide a further aspect of challenging players touse their skill during the tournament.

[0032] In yet another embodiment, if the tournament game involvespartnering individuals, computer players may be used which areprogrammed to play cards according to cards played by each individual orindividuals may compete against computer players with their final scorecompared with other individuals competing against the same computerplayer.

[0033] It will be understood that although the present method has beendiscussed in a card tournament setting, it may be implemented innon-card tournaments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe present method may be used in games involving dice, such as by wayof example only, monopoly or backgammon.

[0034] Alternatively, upon connection of their computer 13 with the hostserver 14, the individuals 12 may be given table designations andpositions without being placed in a tournament group. Instead, once thetable positions are filled, the host server 14 then creates thetournament groups by selecting the individuals located at the sameposition at each table.

[0035] In another embodiment, the tournament may be based on a number ofrounds (or dealt card hands) rather than time-based.

[0036] Although, it is preferable that each table has the same number ofindividuals so that tournament groups of equal number may beestablished.

[0037] Furthermore, the method of the present invention may beimplemented over any multi-user communication network such as theInternet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN),wireless application protocol (WAP) telephone, interactive TV etc. . .

[0038] Along with the comparison between individuals in a tournamentgroup, the individuals may be compared with the score of individuals attheir table for further skill determination.

[0039] In another embodiment, where the card suits are not importantsuch as in blackjack, the card hands may be dealt such that they havethe same numerical values. For instance, one individual may be dealt a 5of hearts and a 10 of clubs while a second individuals is dealt a 5 ofdiamonds and a 10 of spades. This reduces the chance of cheating byindividuals who are keeping track of the card hands.

[0040] In yet another embodiment, the host server 14 reassigns theplayers to different tables after every hand. In this embodiment, theplayers maintain the same table positions but are the host server 14randomly rotates the table assignments after every hand. It will beappreciated that this arrangement maintains the tournament groups buthelps to protect against fraud.

[0041] In still another embodiment, a robot player is used to facilitatecertain tournament arrangements and comparisons. Robot players may beemployed to compare the skill of two players when no other players areavailable. In particular, these robot players may be used in the casedescribed above where the two most skilled players are determined inorder to determine which of the two is more skilled.

[0042] In a further embodiment, a round-robin tournament is dealt by thehost server 14. The host server 14 deals a set number of card hands toeach player at one table position. Then the host server 14 reassigns theplayers to a different table position and deals the hands previouslydealt to the player at this different table position, repeated until thehost server 14 has dealt the players the cards for each table position.As will be apparent to one skilled in the art this embodiment allows thedetermination of the most skilled player in a tournament setting withoutproceeding to smaller sized tournaments. Moreover, it is not necessaryfor the table assignments from the host server 14 to be maintained foreach hand. The host server 14 may rotate players to different tablepositions at different tables.

[0043] Although the invention has been described with reference tocertain specific embodiments, various modifications thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention as outlined in the claims appended hereto.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A method of determiningskill level in a card game in a tournament setting over a computernetwork, said method comprising: a) assigning players to a plurality oftables, each table consisting of a predetermined number of labelledpositions; b) providing cards to each player over the network such thatplayers seated at positions with the same label at each table have thesame cards; and c) comparing performance of players at the same positionat different tables after playing a game and ranking such players as ameasure of their skill level.
 2. A method according to claim 1 whereinthe card game is poker.
 3. A method according to claim 2, wherein theperformance of players is determined by the amount of money they have atthe end of the card game.
 4. A method according to claim 1, whereinplayers are ranked based on previous play prior to being assigned totables to obtain an even distribution of skilled players.
 5. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the like-ranked players from eachtournament group are reassigned to a common tournament group for anotherround of play.
 6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the card gameincludes a draw.
 7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the draw usesa fixed number of cards.
 8. A method according to claim 6, wherein cardsused for the draw are preselected.
 9. A method according to claim 1,wherein card games are repeatedly played for a predetermined amount oftime.
 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein card games arerepeatedly played for a fixed number of rounds.
 11. A method accordingto claim 1, wherein the card game is blackjack.
 12. A game system forplaying a card game in a tournament setting comprising: a) a pluralityof individual players; b) a host server connected to each of the playersover a network; c) a tournament module in said host server to divide theplayers into tournament groups, and provide a table designation andtable position to each player, each table position corresponding to atournament group; d) a dealing module in said host server to provide thesame cards to each player with the same table position; e) a monitoringmodule in said host server to track the gameplay at each table; f) aranking module in said host server to compare the performance of playerswithin each tournament group.
 13. A game system according to claim 12wherein the card game is poker.
 14. A game system according to claim 13,wherein the performance of players is determined by the amount of moneythey have at the end of the card game.
 15. A game system according toclaim 12, wherein players are ranked based on previous play prior tobeing assigned to tables to obtain an even distribution of skilledplayers.
 16. A game system according to claim 12, wherein thelike-ranked players from each tournament group are reassigned to acommon tournament group for another round of play.
 17. A game systemaccording to claim 12, wherein the card game includes a draw.
 18. A gamesystem according to claim 17, wherein the draw uses a fixed number ofcards.
 19. A game system according to claim 17, wherein cards used forthe draw are preselected.
 20. A game system according to claim 12,wherein card games are repeatedly played for a predetermined amount oftime.
 21. A game system according to claim 12, wherein card games arerepeatedly played for a fixed number of rounds.
 22. A game systemaccording to claim 12, wherein the card game is blackjack.